Metal pallet and leg construction therefor

ABSTRACT

The pallet comprises cross beams and end members supported by a plurality of individual legs upon inner and outer pads so that a fork lift truck or the like can engage under the pallet from any one of the four sides with the fork members engaging under the cross beams and/or end members. The legs are formed in a particular truss configuration giving high strength for low weight.

Oct. 2, 1973 United States Patent [1 1 Chez Arthur ct al.

Colas ct al.

M HM sw m MFR 9 942 45557 99990 HHHHH 3607 70976 00 409 76025 84997 22223 N O H d a C Rd .U lm m s d w 3 C c w 26 G 2h E m L D N A m a m nm L Mm ER 0 P F L M AR T E V M T .m 4 M 5 7 Primary Examiner-Bernard A. Gclak Assistant Examiner-Glenn O. Finch Attorney-Stanley G. Ade

[22] Filed: Apr. 26, 1972 Appl. No.: 247,815

[57] ABSTRACT The pallet comprises cross beams and end members [52] US. 108/58, 108/51 [51] Int. Cl. 865d 19/38 Field of Search supported by a plurality of individual legs upon inner and outer pads so that a fork lift truck or the like can engage under the pallet from any one of the four sides with the fork members engaging under the cross beams 8 m 5/ *M 5 2 -9 m 8 S w m 4 E 2 T 0 6 M 5 l C 8 a E 0 c T e r. T h S e R w W N U m m 5 5 and/or end members. The legs are formed in a particu- Stuebing, Jr.

w m. r m n t m e u U f S H .W .h .e F g g .m n w i .w r g D n 8 .w s, m u I. .m C f n 3 O C S mt m. i mm 8588 m mull 2 2,720,323 10/1955 Hoiles..'....... 2,145,093 1/1939 Quayle.......... 1,409,092 3/1922 Goildfield.............................

PATENTED um 2197a user 1. BF 3' 1 METAL PALLET AND LEG CONSTRUCTION THEREFOR BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an isometric exploded view of the pallet. FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the assembled pallet with Conventionally pallets for the transportation and the upper wear pad broken away to show the interior storage of goods are usually made of wood and are engageable by the forks of a fork lift truck or the like from one side or the other. Such pallets ar relatively heavy, expensive and readily damaged and have to be maneuvered so that either of the two open sides is available to the fork of the fork lift truck.

Difficulty with providing metal pallets which would be long lasting, resides in the fact that in order to provide sufficient strenght the metal pallets are extremely heavy and expensive to manufacture.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention overcomes these disadvantages by the provision of a construction which includes, among other things, individual legs between the cross beams and the pallet pads which are pressed out of metal in such a configuration that extremestrength and light weight is obtained. Furthermore the construction of the pallet with these legs enables the forks of fork lift truck to engage the pallet from any one of the four sides which ever is convenient.

The principal object and essence of the invention is thereforeto provide a device of the character herewithin described which can be made of aluminium'or steel thus providing sufficient strength and light weight for normal purposes.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin described which can be constructed either of steel or aluminium depending upon design parameters.

A yet further object of the invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin described which includes a novel leg configuration which can be pressed from steel or aluminium sheeting thus giving a relatively light weight leg but which, due to the truss configuration built therein, gives extreme strength for the weight of material used.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin described which includes a wearing surface of expanded metal or wire mesh fabric fixed to the load carrying beams thus forming the entire platform which in turn is mounted by means of the novel legs and a tension mem-ber, to the pallet pads therebelow.

A yet further object of the invention is to provide a device of the character herewithin described which is simple in construction, economical in manufacture, and otherwise well suited to the purpose for which it is designed.

With the foregoing objects in view, and such other or further purposes, advantages or novel features as may become apparent from consideration of this disclosure and specification, the present invention consists of the inventive concept which is comprised, embodied, embraced, or included in the means, method, process, product, construction, composition, arrangement of parts or new use of any of the foregoing, herein exemplified in one or more specific embodiments of such concept, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which:

thereof.

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an end elevation of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged top plan view of one of the leg components per se.

FIG. 6 is a side elevation of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is an end elevation of FIG. 5. I

FIG. 8 is an isometric view of the leg componentper In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Proceeding therefore to describe the invention in detail, reference should first be made to FIG. 1 in which 10 illustrates a plurality of spaced and parallel pallet pad members consisting of substantially triangular cross section steel or aluminium members and including a pair of outer members specifically designated 10A with a central inner member specifically designated 108. All three members are provided with a central upperlongitudinally extending apex 11, side plates 12 extending downwardly and outwardly from the apex 11, and horizontally extending base portion 13.

A plurality of square cross sectioned tubing members form spaced and parallel cross beams 15 maintained in this position by longitudinally extending end channel members 16 which engage over the ends of the cross beams 15 and are welded thereto or otherwise attached by conventional methods. I

A wearing surface or pad 17 is formed by expanded metal or wire mesh fabric and is spot welded or rivetted to the upper surfaces of the cross beams 15 and the longitudinal members 16.

The cross beams 15, the longitudinalmembers l6 and the wearing pad 17 constitute the platformof the pallet collectively designated 18 and this is supported in spaced and parallel relationship above the pallet pads 10 by means of a plurality of leg components collectively designated 19.

FIG. 1 shows the positioning of these leg components 19 and in this embodiment,-there are three such leg components upon each of the pallet pad members 10.

Situated between the upper ends of the legs 19 and the underside of the cross beams 15, intermediate the ends' of the cross beams is a tension member 20 which is overlying the central or inner pad member 108 and this assists in the transfer of load from the pallet platform 18 particularly when same is picked up by afork lift.

The spacing of the leg components 19 relative to the pads 10 enables the forks of a fork lift truck (not illus trated) to engage under the cross beams 15 from either end of the pallet whereupon the forks are parallel to the pads 10 or, alternatively, from either side of the pallet whereupon the forks would be parallel to the cross beams 15. In this connection the load is transferred from the cross beams to the upper chord 16 of the outer trusses made up of members 16, 19 and 10 and to the tension strip 20 which is the upper chord of the inner truss made up of members 20, 19 and 10B.

The individual leg components 19 are shown in detail in FIGS. 5 to 8 inclusive and are pressed from steel or aluminium sheet depending upon design parameters and the strength required for the particular use for which the pallet is designed.

Each leg component includes a central section collectively designated 21 and a pair of end sections each collectively designated 22.

The center section 21 is saddle shaped and includes the longitudinally extending apex 23 with a panel 24 extending downwardly and outwardly upon either side of the apex terminating in spaced and parallel side edges 25.

The fold lines formed in the construction of the leg component, between the center section 22 and the end sections 19 incline upwardly and inwardly from the ends 26 of the side edges 25 towards the ends 27 of the apex 23 and these fold lines are designated by reference characters 28.

The end sections 22 consist of the two sides panels 29 and a centrer panel 30. The side panels are defined by the fold lines 28 and fold lines 31 between the side panels 29 and end panel 30 and these fold lines 31 incline upwardly and-outwardly from point 27 to the upper outer corners 32 of the end sections. The side panels incline upwardly and outwardly from the fold lines 31 so that the end sections are dished with respect to the saddle shaped center section 21.

Attaching flanges 33 are formed on the upper ends of the end sections 22 and are substantially horizontal and these flanges may extend outwardly from the end sections as shown in solid line in FIG. 5, 6 and 8 or, alternatively extend inwardly as shown in phantom in FIGS. 5, 6 and 8.

The saddle shaped center section 21 engages over th pads with the side panels 24 having a similar angulation to the sides 12 of the pads 10 so that they nest thereover and can be secured thereto as by welding, rivetting or the like.

The flanges 33 engage under the longitudinal members 16 or the tension strip and are secured thereto as by welding, rivetting or other similar means.

From the foregoing an extremely strong truss like leg component is provided which gives the necessary strength together with the light weight of a metal pallt so that the overall weight is very similar to the conventional wood pallet.

Various modifications may be constructed or performed within the scope of the inventive concept disclosed. Therefore what has been set forth is intended to illustrate such concept and is not for the purpose of limiting protection to any herein particuarly described embodiment thereof.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A pallet comprising in combination a plurality of spaced and parallel pallet pad members, a plurality of load carrying cross beams at right angles to said pad members, and a plurality of individual leg components supporting said cross beams upon said pad members and being secured to said cross beams and to said pad members, a bearing surface panel secured to said cross beams upon the upper side thereof, outer longitudinal end members secured across the ends of said cross beams parallel to said pad members, and a tension strip member secured across said cross beams intermediate the ends thereof and upon the upper ends of said leg components immediately therebelow.

2. The pallet according to claim 1 in which each of said leg components including a center section and an end section formed integrally upon each end of said center section, said center section having a longitudinally extending apex'and a side panel inclining downwardly and outwardly from said apex, each of said end sections inclining upwardly and outwardly from'the ends of said center section, and attaching flanges formed on the upper ends of said end sections, said pad members being triangular when viewed in cross section, said center sections nesting over said pad members. I i

3. The pallet according to claim 1 in which the ends of said center section are defined by fold lines between said center section and said end sections, said lines inclining inwardly and upwardly from the side edges of said center sections towards the apex thereof, said end sections each comprising a pair of side panels and a center panel, the fold lines between said side panels and said center panel inclining outwardly and upwardly from the apex of said center section towards the upper outer corners of said end sections whereby said end sections are dished with respect to said center section. I t l 

1. A pallet comprising in combination a plurality of spaced and parallel pallet pad members, a plurality of load carrying cross beams at right angles to said pad members, and a plurality of individual leg components supporting said cross beams upon said pad members and being secured to said cross beams and to said pad members, a bearing surface panel secured to said cross beams upon the upper side thereof, outer longitudinal end members secured across the ends of said cross beams parallel to said pad members, and a tension strip member secured across said cross beams intermediate the ends thereof and upon the upper ends of said leg components immediately therebelow.
 2. The pallet according to claim 1 in which each of said leg components including a center section and an end section formed integrally upon each end of said center section, said center section having a longitudinally extending apex and a side panel inclining downwardly and outwardly from said apex, each of said end sections inclining upwardly and outwardly from the ends of said center section, and attaching flanges formed on the upper ends of said end sections, said pad members being triangular when viewed in cross section, said center sections nesting over said pad members.
 3. The pallet according to claim 1 in which the ends of said center section are defined by fold lines between said center section and said end sections, said lines inclining inwardly and upwardly from the side edges of said center sections towards the apex thereof, said end sections each comprising a pair of side panels and a center panel, the fold lines between said side panels and said center panel inclining outwardly and upwardly from the apex of said center section towards the upper outer corners of said end sections whereby said end sections are dished with respect to said center section. 